Tethered
by klutzysunshine
Summary: When Mulder and Scully finally catch up to their son, William breaks the news to them that she's pregnant.


When they finally caught up to their son, Mulder and Scully were relieved - and worried. "I was trying to stay away from you!" an exasperated William told his biological parents, hoping no one had followed them.

"And we want to keep you safe," Scully shot back, trying to fight back tears now that she was truly looking at her son for the first time. She was so thankful he had chosen not to project himself as another person.

"We'll protect you," Mulder assured him, gripping Scully's shoulder to keep her grounded. They needed to be on high alert just in case someone was after them.

"What should we call you? William or Jackson?" asked Scully as a traitorous tear escaped. She wiped it off and took a deep breath.

"I'm going by William now. It was easier to go on the run using my birth name," the teenager explained. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She gave him a look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't need to be getting upset. It's not good for you," William explained.

They blinked. "Why her specifically?" questioned a confused Mulder.

And that's when William realized neither of them knew. "You're pregnant," he gently informed his biological mother.

Scully started laughing, finding the idea absolutely hilarious. "William," she chided.

"I'm serious. We have a connection, right?" At her nod, William continued. "I know because of that connection. The babies and I are connected too. Not sure if that'll continue after they're born."

"Babies?" squeaked Mulder. Head spinning because of so much shit going down at once, he had to sit down in a chair.

"Twins," William confirmed with a smile on his face. He grabbed Scully's hand and just concentrated.

Scully's head started to pound after he initiated their connection but sure enough, she could feel two little lives starting to take up residence in her womb. She gasped and started crying once again just before her son dropped her hand and everything grinded to a halt. Then she started laughing. "I'm fifty-four years old! Fifty-fucking-four! And now I'm pregnant with not just one but two babies? We have a teenager, Mulder! And he has powers! What are we going to do?"

He stopped up, intent on calming her down. He kissed her and then grinned. "I know this isn't what we expected but we can handle anything life throws at us - including twins. I'm scared too but we got this," Mulder comforted, drawing her into his arms. He pulled a surprised William into the hug too.

"Not that this isn't touching and all but shouldn't we go?" William asked a few minutes later.

The three of them pulled away from each other. "That's probably best," Scully agreed, placing her hand on her abdomen. Now that she knew about her pregnancy, certain things made sense - the random nausea she passed off as the flu a few weeks earlier, along with the mood swings. She needed to make an appointment with a doctor but that could wait until after they got William to safety.

"So where are we going?" the teenager asked.

"We'll tell you when we get there." Mulder winked at him then ushered Scully and William into the car. They couldn't even tell Skinner where they were going for fear someone would pry the truth out of him.

After several hours on the road, they arrived at their destination - a safe house he hadn't even told Scully about just in case something ever popped up that required him to run. "It looks pretty shitty," William observed but he wasn't going to complain about it after living life on the run for a few months.

"Is it safe?" Scully figured it couldn't hurt to double check.

He glared at them both. "Just get inside." He shook his head and beamed at them as he followed the two inside. After double checking to make sure no one had followed them, he closed the blinds. "You tired, William? Go to bed."

"Maybe we should talk first?" William was too exhausted for an emotional reunion right now but he could force himself to participate.

"We'll talk in the morning. We all need some sleep." Mulder showed William his bedroom, and then he and Scully headed towards theirs.

Scully fell into bed with a groan. "We have our son back, Mulder."

"That we do. And some stowaways," he teased, flopping onto the bed next to her.

She rolled her eyes. "Mulder! How can we go on the run while I'm pregnant? How can we keep him safe while I'm a liability?" As much as Scully didn't want to admit it, she was growing more and more excited about this pregnancy (despite her advanced age and all the odds stacked against them).

"He's kept himself safe all this point," Mulder pointed out. He shrugged when she just stared at him. "He's a teenager who can take care of himself. We'll protect him but his powers keep him at an advantage. And we'll make sure everything runs smoothly for the three of you. Fuck, I can't believe we're having twins. Think it was the hotel room sex a few months ago that did it?"

"Brag about your virility later, Mulder. And most likely. Although we had sex everywhere at home once I moved back in." She yawned.

"Get some sleep. The three of us have a lot of catching up to do and we need all the sleep we can get." Mulder leaned over and kissed her.

They didn't exactly hash everything out the next morning but the recently reunited family came up with a plan anyway. They felt confident it would work.

* * *

Six months later - four days before her due date - Scully went into labor and delivered two healthy baby girls with Mulder and William by her side. Their son ended up naming one of the twins Guinevere Margaret while Scully and Mulder chose to name her sister Tabitha Katherine. "I'm finally a big brother. This is fucking awesome," William raved.

Scully went to chide him for his language but realized it was futile (and hypocritical) and instead nodded her head in agreement. "While I certainly never expected to have a baby - let alone two - at my age, I'm so glad they're here." It helped that they had been able to take down those after William a month or so earlier and were now free to resume their normal lives. "Do you still feel a connection to your sisters?" she asked William.

He nodded. "It's stronger now, I think. You're probably connected to them too, whatever their powers are."

"We'll figure it out. Isn't that right?" Mulder asked the babies. His heart melted at the sight of his family all together.

"Gwen and Tabitha have had a big day, haven't you? It's okay, though. You'll get used to it." Scully could hardly believe she had three kids now but she was excited to go home and see their personalities develop. She wasn't looking forward to sleepless nights, however.

"I'll protect you. The bad guys have to go through me to get to you, and that's never going to happen." William rocked Tabitha back and forth, eager to hold Gwen once more. He didn't feel confident enough to hold two newborns at once, though.

For once, Mulder and Scully didn't need to worry about a conspiracy or keeping their children safe from anybody evil. They could settle down and relax (as much as they could with two newborns, anyway) for the first time in a long time. William, Tabitha, and Gwen were all safe and loved. They couldn't ask for anything more than that. And yes, they were old as hell, but Mulder and Scully's second attempt at parenthood would go much better than their first. And William helped them out a lot, even though he complained about changing diapers. This family couldn't be separated again. And after everything they had been through, they deserved happiness.


End file.
